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According to The Atlantic, research done by Social Media + Society shows that many bloggers are working 100 hours a week to create their perfect personas. As the piece points out, "They have to appear authentic but also remain on brand, stay creative while tracking metrics, and satisfy both their readers and the retail brands that bankroll them."

One subject from the studied shared that just curating one photo can take a full days work and with more blogs hitting the market, it is harder to bring in cash. The emotional labor of always "having to be on" has also caused more extreme scenarios like anxiety and the loss of privacy for some.

After taking everything into consideration, the free gear might not be worth it.